Will strolled into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. He took a long drink feeling the refreshing liquid cool his body. He had just come back from a long drive that he hoped would clear his thoughts about Annie. She had been gone for twelve days and hadn't bothered to call him once.
Since Annie had been gone he had considered what she said about Ronnie but Will just couldn't see it. If Ronnie wanted him back she had a weird way of showing it. Kissing Alston, and finding them in bed together seemed to tell a different tale. To be fair, she hadn't been the one to initiate the kiss but it didn't absolve her of the fact that she kissed him back.
Looking out at the water, Will saw Ronnie sitting on the porch with a book propped open in her lap. He smiled to himself thinking of all the times he had seen her in the same position. His wife was an avid reader, or ex-wife. Will took another sip of water and put the bottle back in the fridge.
Will opened the sliding glass door and closed it behind him startling Ronnie. "It's just me," he smiled.
She smiled back at him and held up the book she was reading. It wasn't her normal classic but a racy romance novel about Highlanders. "Everyone needs an easy read sometimes."
Will sunk into the chair across from her, intertwining his hands behind his head. "How are you feeling today?"
Ronnie put a bookmark in her book and placed it on the table in front of her. "I'm okay. Ready for this to be over." She tugged her hair out of her ponytail and rearranged it into a bun. "I haven't seen Annie around lately."
Will sighed," She is visiting her family in Texas and I could say the same thing about Alston."
"I figured it was safer to see him somewhere else."
"Good observation," he smirked. "My question is why are you seeing him?"
Ronnie stared at the glass of sweet tea in front of her before picking it up and taking a long sip. She fingered the dew on the outside of the glass until the whole thing was translucent again. Then her gaze lifted back up to him. "I'm not. I never was."
The ocean breeze flapped the festive flags behind Will grabbing his attention. It was a beautiful day out but talking about Alston really put a dark cloud over his head. "What do you mean you were never seeing him?"
She took a deep breath and scooted to the edge of her seat. "This whole thing was a really bad idea but in my defense I didn't ask him to come. Now I feel like this is all my fault because you broke his nose. It wasn't supposed to go this far," she rambled.
Will grabbed her hands that she was wringing on her belly. "Whoa, slow down. What is going on?"
"Alston is not here for me Will. He's here to make things right with you," Ronnie swiped at a tear that was rolling down her cheek. "He has felt bad about dating me in college despite the fact that he knew you would be angry. So he came here to make you jealous so that you would take me back."
Will closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. She may be the woman he was in love with but she truly knew how to push his buttons. "Take you back? I seem to remember you leaving me. Not the other way around."
"I know that is what makes this worse," Ronnie slid off her chair and crouched down in front of Will. "I love you. I was just so angry about Emma and how you never seemed to be hurting so I wanted to hurt you."
Will sat silent while Ronnie grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips. "You didn't think that losing my child was enough?"
She laid her head against his hand," You never opened up to me. It was only after the divorce that your mother told me about how you go to Emma's grave every week to talk to her and leave her flowers."
Will helped Ronnie to her feet and then sat her down on his lap. Her head fell onto his shoulder and he closed his arms around her. It was a moment he knew was going to be short lived. "You're right. I should have opened up to you. I was just afraid that I was going to fall apart too and who would have taken care of you."
Ronnie sat on his lap till the sun started setting in the horizon. The beach was starting to clear out and there was a hum in the air from the chatter of happy families. He wasn't sure if Ronnie had fallen asleep but her breathing had evened out to a nice slow deep pace.
"I wish I could be Annie," he heard her whisper.
"What?"
"You're falling in love with her and I wish it was me. I've experienced life and lost a baby. I can't be everything you need me to be all the time because I have issues to work out and pain to wok through."
Will gently pushed against her arms till she was sitting up straight. "Who said that is what I want? Maybe I want to be with someone who knows what I have been through?"
Will messed with the custom cuff link on his crisp white shirt till he was sure it was on correctly. His kitchen had bags on the counters and he watched while Ronnie put the groceries away. He had offered to help her but was met with a snort of indignation and a lecture about how she was pregnant and not disabled. He had to admit it was fun to watch her wattle around holding one item in her hand while she supported her back with the other. At the rate in which she was moving she would be done putting things away by the following Tuesday. This had led him to sneak a few items to the right spot while her back was turned.
Under one of the bags he saw his phone light up that he had a message and grabbed it hoping to hear some good news about the new shop that had opened in California a week ago. He had a vested interest in the place since he had suggested to his dad that the area would be perfect to start a west coast division.
"Will, it's Annie. I just wanted you to know that my flight was cancelled and I won't be coming home till tomorrow. I will call you later to tell you when I land. See you soon."
He must have showed his concern because Ronnie had stopped putting groceries away to watch him. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," he dropped the phone back on the counter and started working on his other cuff link. "Annie was supposed to go to a wedding with me tonight but I guess I am going solo."
"Who's getting married?"
"Ryan and Marie."
Ronnie smiled," I can't believe it took him this long to get her to the altar. They have been together as long as we have."
"Well, you ladies are pigheaded. I tried to get you to the altar quite a few years before we got married," he chuckled.
"I figured Columbia was enough of a shock for your mother. Marrying me before you graduated college would have sent her over the edge," Ronnie shot back.
Will picked up the new carton of soymilk and poured himself a glass. "You could go with me. To be honest I haven't told them we are divorced yet. If I go solo there will be many questions."
Ronnie put the last item in the cupboard and shut the door. "What were you going to say when Annie showed up with you?"
"I was hoping no one would say anything since she was there." He downed the liquid and rinsed out his glass. "What do you say? Should be more fun than sitting here all alone."
Ronnie looked down at the jean capris she was wearing and the cranberry camisole. "What will I wear? I didn't exactly plan to go to a wedding."
"How about the dress you wore to the fundraiser? You looked gorgeous in that." He watched her cheeks turn pink from the compliment. His hand flexed and he put it in his pocket to stop himself from grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. "I need to leave in half an hour. Is this enough time?"
She turned on her heel and headed towards the stairs throwing back that she could make it. He knew she would want to see the wedding anyways. In college she had been pretty close to Marie since they both went to Juilliard. Marie had been there on a dance scholarship and Ronnie had set her up with his long time buddy Ryan.
Fifteen minutes later Ronnie breezed back into the kitchen holding a pair of high heels in her hands. Her hair was in a side ponytail with her hair cascading down her shoulder. She was wearing the green dress he had suggested. "Wow," he murmured.
"Presentable?"
Will smiled wondering how she could even ask. She was much more than presentable. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "You'll do," he joked.
"Thanks for that overwhelming vote of confidence. It's not bad enough that I feel like a cow."
Will walked up behind her and pulled her against him. He reached out his hands and placed them on her belly. "This is my child you carry, which makes you even more beautiful to me."
He felt her body stiffen in his embrace and released her. "I think we should go."
They drove an hour to reach their destination; which was a small garden where you walked down into the woods to a grand oak tree with a gazebo underneath. There were a few people she knew and some old friends from college who waved at her as she walked by with Will.
The ceremony lasted forty-five minutes where she cursed her pregnancy hormones for crying. It wasn't a few tears but a stream coming out of the corner of her eyes. Will smiled down at her every time he handed her a new tissue making her elbow him in the side. It wasn't funny. She was a walking disaster.
After the ceremony was over Will helped her walk back up to the reception area by holding her arm and making sure she didn't fall over the many roots sticking out of the ground. She had learned her lesson once on not falling while you are pregnant. The last time had cost her her first child.
"Ronnie," Makayla, a friend from Will's past called out. She had taken a few marine biology classes with Will while he was at Columbia. The two had spent a few nights studying at Ronnie's house while Ronnie watched on.
"Makayla, how are you," Ronnie asked giving her friend an awkward hug around her belly.
"I'm good. Look at you. I didn't know you guys were having a baby," she flung her black hair back over her shoulder. Her tall frame was as perfect as it had always been and Ronnie felt a pang of jealousy while looking down at her enormous stomach. "Looking good Will."
"How is Ben," Will asked after her husband.
"He's doing well. He was the best man so I believe he is down taking pictures. Can you believe it took Ryan and Marie this long to get married? Ben and I will have been together six years this November. But I don't have to tell you. Aren't you guys celebrating your anniversary next month?"
Will coughed in his champagne and Ronnie grabbed a napkin from the closest table to hand him. He dabbed the liquid off of his chin and turned back to Makayla. "Actually, we are divorced."
Ronnie saw pain flash in his eyes before it was replaced by his calm façade. Makayla, on the other hand, was standing with her mouth gaped wide open.
"When did this happen? And you came here together? I need a drink," she turned to a server who was walking by and grabbed a new glass of wine.
Sorry it has been taking so long to upload new chapters. I have been busy and experiencing a touch of writer's block. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm thinking I will be writing only two more chapters (emphasis on maybe) so I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Please stick with me till the end I promise not to disappoint! While you are reading this I beg you to take a few minutes and write a comment or review of this chapter. It helps to keep me motivated while writing new chapters. Thanks!